Protesters killed in clashes across Egypt on anniversary of 2011 uprising

49 killed in violence across Egypt as pro and anti-government demonstrators
take to the streets, the day after Cairo was rocked by multiple bomb blasts

By Louisa Loveluck, and Magdy Samaan, Cairo

3:04PM GMT 25 Jan 2014

At least 49 people were killed during clashes with Egyptian security forces on Saturday, as opposing political forces rallied on the anniversary of the 2011 revolution that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

Three years on from an uprising that ostensibly unified the Egyptian people, deep and bitter divisions were on show in the capital, Cairo.

While thousands rallied in Cairo’s Tahrir square to celebrate the anniversary and show support for Egypt’s military-backed authorities, clashes raged just a few streets away between police and anti-government demonstrators.

The protests took place amid tight security, a day after an al-Qaeda affiliated militant group claimed responsibility for four separate bomb blasts which rocked Cairo on Friday. In a statement, Ansar Bayt el Maqdis warned that the attacks were only the “first drops of rain”.

Armoured personnel carriers and barbed wire lined the perimeter of Tahrir Square. Inside, protesters were bedecked with a range of memorabilia carrying the face of General Abdel Fattah el Sisi, who lead the ouster of Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi, last July.

A plainclothes security officer holding a gun detains a supporter of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in the Cairo neighborhood of Nasr City

“I’m here for Egypt, and especially for Sisi,” said Kadry Abdelhamid, a government employee. “This is our revolution, and it was nearly stolen by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood. This is why we celebrate today.”

Egypt’s interim authorities have embarked on an aggressive crackdown against both supporters of Mr Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, and the secular activists widely viewed as the instigators of the original uprising, who have been subject to arrests and harassment from state security. The Brotherhood has been branded a terrorist organisation, and officials argue that it has links to jihadist militants, charges the movement denies. Its ranks have been decimated in recent months by mass arrests, as well as a series of state-led mass killings last summer.

A protester wounded in clashes with security forces is evacuated from the site in the Mohandiseen district of Cairo (EMAN HELAL/AP)

Pro-government turnout appeared somewhat depressed when compared to expectations, a fact that many attributed to the previous day’s bombings. “There are many people are afraid to come to the celebration because of the blasts,” 45-year-old Hossam el-Din Shehata told the Telegraph. He said he too had come to the square to show support for General Sisi. “Nobody else can bring stability to Egypt,” he said.

General Sisi is widely expected to announce his candidacy for the Egyptian presidency within days. If he runs, he will likely win the vote by a landslide majority.

A supporter of General Abdel Fattah el Sisi in Tahrir Square (AMR NABIL/AP)

But nearby, a mixed crowd of around a thousand opposition activists first gathered outside the Journalists’ Syndicate to reject military rule and chant the slogans of the original 18-day uprising. They later clashed with security forces in fierce cat and mouse battles across downtown Cairo. Police used tear gas and fired live ammunition into the air in an attempt to disperse the protesters.

Of the 49 people killed, most died in Cairo and its suburbs, and others in Alexandria and Minya.

In the canal city of Suez, a car bomb exploded near a police base, injuring four, following a similar incident in Cairo earlier in the day which wounded one. At least 450 people were arrested nationwide.

Standing outside the Journalists’ Syndicate, Mohamed Nagi, an NGO worker, said that he had come out in rejection of the army, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Egypt’s military-backed civilian government.

“I refuse to see another drop of Egyptian blood spilled,” he said. “Sisi should be tried, Morsi should be tried, and Mubarak should be tried. All three were responsible for the deaths of Egyptians. As long as there is no justice, there is no stability.”

Others insisted that their presence on the streets felt more important than ever. “Mubarak supporters are trying to steal our square and our revolution, this is why we’re out on the streets,” said Mohamed el Bendari, a journalism student. “We need to show that despite the arrests of the youth, we are still here, and we are still fighting.”